Martin Nance, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of the National Football League’s Minnesota Vikings since February 2021, discussed his transition from the gridiron to the C-suite in the latest installment of video series Resume Rewind, sponsored by entertainment wiki hosting service Fandom.
Nance’s first job, when he was “not quite old enough to work on paper,” was as a landscaper, planting flowers.
He went on to star at wide receiver for Miami University in Ohio and played for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers, earning a Super Bowl ring with the latter for Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals.
While Nance was an active player, he remembers interacting with fans and seeing how passionate they were, and how they would stick around on a hot summer day at training camp for an autograph or a handshake. “Seeing the power of a brand like the Steelers, like the Vikings, like the Bills really stood out to me. I wanted to understand and unpack more of that,” he said.
He added that his career as an athlete was “really core to my experience as a brand marketer,” and shared the following advice for young athletes seeking to make a similar transition: “Be where your feet are. Be present. Enjoy the moment. Soak up the experience that you’re having today. Be willing to explore other things. Take some time away from the field or training to explore other things that interest you.”
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